This Week in Auto Racing September 5 - 7

This Week in Auto Racing September 5 - 7
Wed 3rd, September 2008

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The "Chase cut-off race" at Richmond International Raceway headlines a busy weekend of racing. Meanwhile, the IndyCar Series title will be decided in the season finale at Chicagoland.

Sprint Cup Series

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, VA

It's now or never for several drivers to secure the remaining seven positions in this year's "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Burton have already qualified, while Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick will also make the "Chase" by simply starting in Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway, which is the final race of the regular season.

Tony Stewart, currently eighth in points, should have no problem making it into the "Chase," as he needs to finish just 36th or better to clinch, regardless of any other driver's performance.

Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin, ninth through 11th in points, respectively, have their work cut out for them at Richmond. Kenseth will lock down a spot if he finishes 26th or better, while Gordon will make it in with a 24th-place run or better. Hamlin's ticket will be punched with a 21st-place finish or better.

The battle for the coveted 12th spot in the "Chase" should be a great one between Clint Bowyer and David Ragan as Bowyer, currently 12th, holds just a slim 17-point advantage over Ragan.

"We're just kind of inching forward on it," Bowyer said. "We've really been working hard and I'm proud of this entire team, but we've got to get better. We're still in it."

Bowyer's only victory so far this season came in the spring race at Richmond. He grabbed the lead in the final laps when Kyle Busch spun out Dale Earnhardt, Jr., while the two were battling for the top spot. Bowyer held off Busch in a green-white-checkered finish for his second career Cup victory.

If Bowyer wins at Richmond again, he's guaranteed a spot in the "Chase."

"It's going to be a battle right down to the end," Bowyer said. "Anything can happen in Richmond. But nonetheless, there is a little bit of confidence knowing you're coming off a win there."

Being 17 points out of 12th place doesn't seem to bother Ragan that much.

"That's better than 20 or 25, but not as good as 10 or 5, so we've just got to go and do what we've been doing," Ragan said. "We've got to have more speed. The bottom line is we've got to qualify (well), race (well), and not have any trouble this week to make the 'Chase'."

Kasey Kahne, 14th in points, remains mathematically eligible but is a long- shot to make the "Chase" field. Currently 48 points behind Bowyer, Kahne could earn a spot depending on his finish and the performances of other drivers.

At the conclusion of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, all 12 drivers who qualify for the "Chase" will have their point totals reset to 5,000. Each driver will then have 10 bonus points added for every race he won before the "Chase." Busch has secured the top seed by virtue of his eight victories. Edwards will take the second seed, and Johnson will occupy the third spot. The remaining seeds will be determined after Richmond.

Sharing the spotlight on the "Chase" battle will be one of the most anticipated Sprint Cup debuts in years as 18-year-old Joey Logano will drive the No.02 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond. Logano will replace Stewart in the No.20 Toyota next season when Stewart serves as driver and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Logano will also compete in five more Sprint Cup races this season, driving the No.96 Toyota for Hall of Fame Racing. He became the youngest driver to win a Nationwide Series race in June at Kentucky. His first victory came in just his third start.

Nationwide Series

Emerson Radio 250 - Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, VA

With eight races remaining in the season, Clint Bowyer holds a comfortable 204-point lead over second-place Brad Keselowski and a 222-point advantage over third-place Carl Edwards in the Nationwide Series championship standings.

Keselowski won at Bristol and moved to within 122 points of Bowyer, but after his 33rd-place finish last Saturday at California, Keselowski took a huge hit in his quest for the championship. Bowyer has gained momentum in the last two races, finishing second at Bristol and seventh at California.

Edwards, the defending series champion, finished second to Kyle Busch at California and gained little ground in the points race. He finished 37th at Bristol.

Now the battle for the title moves on to Richmond International Raceway. Bowyer has scored four top-10 finishes in seven Nationwide races at Richmond. winning in May 2007. Bowyer, however, has finished 33rd and 37th, respectively, in the last two fall races there.

"Richmond is just a perfect race track," Bowyer said. "It has the speed of the big tracks that the fans want to see, but has the rootin' and gougin' and beatin' and bangin' that a short track has."

Edwards has recorded one victory and five top-10 finishes in seven races at Richmond, posting a win in May 2005.

Keselowski finished 35th or worse in his first three starts at Richmond before improving with an 11th-place finish there in May.

Chase Austin, the 18-year-old grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will make his first career Nationwide start at Richmond. He will drive the No.21 Chevrolet for Childress. Like Joey Logano, Austin comes from NASCAR Camping World Series East, where he won his first event in April. He is currently third in the series point standings with seven top-10 finishes in 10 races this year.

After a dominating performance in last Saturday's Nationwide race at California, Busch will try to defend his title in the fall event at Richmond. He led 144 of 150 laps at California for his series-leading seventh victory of the season. One year ago, Busch won the Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond after leading 227 of 252 laps.

Jason Keller is expected to make his record-extending 450th career Nationwide start. Keller, currently 11th in points, has been competing in the series since 1991.

Craftsman Truck Series

Camping World 200 - Gateway International Raceway - Madison, IL

The Craftsman Truck Series returns to action Saturday at Gateway International Raceway just outside St. Louis as Johnny Benson holds a 119-point lead over defending series champion Ron Hornaday, Jr. Benson won three races in a row before finishing fourth at Bristol two weeks ago.

Benson is also the defending winner at Gateway. He passed Hornaday for the lead with 13 laps remaining and then beat him to the finish line by more than one second for the victory. A second-straight victory at Gateway will certainly build momentum towards his championship bid this year.

"It would sure be great to win it, but by the same token, there is so much racing to go," Benson said. "We have nine races. We don't have a comfortable lead, but we have a lead, and that's all I can ask for at this point."

Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and Ted Musgrave have won both a series championship and a race at Gateway. Hornaday captured the title last year but would like to add a Gateway victory to his resume.

"I like racing at Gateway," Hornaday said. "I haven't always had the best luck there, but hopefully that will change this week. Gateway is very different from other tracks we race on because of the way the corners are. Turns one and two are tight and banked and three and four are wide and flat. We had a good day at Gateway last year. We started and finished second and led the most laps. We need to do the same thing this year but finish one position better than last year."

Experience is key at Gateway where Truck Series champions have won six of the 10 races held at the 1.25-mile, egg-shaped layout. The track has yet to produce a first-time race winner in the series.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Erik Darnell is looking for his first victory in the series.

"Once you have raced there a couple of times and gotten over the mental challenges of the track, Gateway is a pretty cool place to visit," Darnell said. "Being patient and staying focused will help get these drivers through their first Gateway experience. The track will definitely take you by surprise if you don't do your homework."

Chrissy Wallace, a St. Louis native, will be the fifth member of the Wallace clan to compete at Gateway. Wallace has three starts in the series so far this year with her best finish of 18th coming in March at Martinsville, VA.

IndyCar Series

Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 - Chicagoland Speedway - Joliet, IL

Just 30 points separate leader Scott Dixon from second-place Helio Castroneves as the IndyCar Series wraps up the 2008 season Sunday at the Chicagoland Speedway. Dixon has been atop the standings since winning the Indianapolis 500 in May. He held a 78-point lead over Castroneves two weeks ago, and was on the verge of clinching the title at Sonoma, CA.

But a victory at Sonoma and a second-place finish at Detroit has allowed Castroneves to shave 48 points off Dixon's lead heading into Chicagoland. Dixon finished 12th at Sonoma and fifth at Detroit.

Castroneves could have trimmed Dixon's lead even more had he won the Detroit Indy Grand Prix, but a blocking penalty late in the race prevented Castroneves from securing the victory. Castroneves, who led a race-high 53 laps, was forced to give up the lead to rookie Justin Wilson, who went on to record his first win in the series.

"I can't let this bother me for the next race," Castroneves said. "So what are we going to do? Definitely we'll turn the page and work as hard as we can. Because the good news (is that) we're still battling for the championship. We're going to have a lot of work again. We know what we need to do. We know we're going after a good team. But I trust my guys, I trust my team and I know we can do it."

If Dixon finishes eighth or better at Chicagoland, he will clinch the title, regardless of Castroneves' performance.

The last two series championships have been decided at Chicagoland.

Last year, Dario Franchitti held just a three-point lead over Dixon entering the season-ending race. The two battled all the way to the final lap with Franchitti taking the checkered flag and the title. Dixon held the lead on the last lap, but Franchitti passed Dixon, who suddenly slowed when he ran out of fuel. Dixon managed to coast to second place.

In 2006, Castroneves came to Chicagoland with only a one-point lead over Sam Hornish, Jr. But Castroneves lost the championship by two points to Hornish after finishing fourth. Hornish finished one position ahead of him in third.

Castroneves has yet to win an IndyCar title.

Franchitti, meanwhile, will return to the series in 2009. Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced Tuesday that Franchitti will replace Dan Wheldon in the team's No.10 car, starting next year. Franchitti spent less than a year in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition. He plans to make several more Nationwide starts this year.

Franchitti has been out of a Sprint Cup ride since July when Ganassi ceased operation of its No.40 team due to lack of sponsorship. He continued to run in some Nationwide races.

Wheldon has been with Ganassi since the start of the 2006 season. His last race with the team will be at Chicagoland.

Formula One

Belgian Grand Prix - Spa Francorchamps - Spa, Belgium

After a disappointing performance in Valencia, Spain two weeks ago, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is glad to see the Grand Prix of Belgium as the next event on the Formula One schedule.

Raikkonen blew an engine in the late stages of the European Grand Prix at the Streets of Valencia and finished 18th. The defending F1 champion is now 13 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.

Raikkonen has an opportunity to rebound in points as he has won the last three races at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.

"The Belgian Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the season and I usually obtain a good result at Spa," Raikkonen said. "I need it more than ever after the results of the last races. The last race for example was one of those one should forget as fast as possible. I've only good memories of this race. Obviously it would be fantastic to win it for the fourth time in a row, considering that I haven't won a race in several months. A success would help me to get back in the race for the title after the disappointment at Valencia."

With 12 of 18 races completed this season, Raikkonen has scored two victories, but his last win came in April at Barcelona, Spain.

Spa-Francorchamps, with its long straights and epic corners, is one of the oldest tracks on the F1 circuit. It's also a track that Raikkonen has figured out very well.

"At this circuit a good aero package is very important to face the numerous fast corners," Raikkonen said. "The lap is very long and to have a good time you have to keep the right rhythm."

Raikkonen's teammate, Felipe Massa, revived his World Championship hopes with a victory in the European Grand Prix. Massa moved to within six points of Hamilton after capturing his fourth win of the season. He finished second at Belgium last year.

"Like most of the drivers, I think this is the best circuit on the current calendar and I love the track," Massa said. "It's always nice to be at Spa and I have good memories of last year, when we had a competitive car and the team got a one-two finish. I hope we can repeat that performance and have a car that is good enough to keep ahead of the McLarens, which of course is our main target at the moment."

Belgium should be a good opportunity for the Ferrari duo to gain ground on Hamilton in the points battle.